Overview
Based in Leuven and connected to the imec photonics research ecosystem, Swave Photonics is building the semiconductor technology needed to produce true holographic displays in a form factor small enough for consumer AR glasses. Current AR headsets use waveguides and micro-LED arrays that are bulky, power-hungry, or produce limited field of view. Swave's holographic approach aims to solve these limitations at the chip level.
The EUR 43M raise reflects the capital intensity of deep-tech hardware development and investor interest in the AR display technology race as Meta, Apple, and others accelerate their mixed reality hardware programs.
Swave is part of the Belgian photonics and semiconductor cluster that benefits from imec's unique fabrication and research infrastructure in Leuven.
Funding & milestones
4 events found for Swave Photonics · 2022–2025
SeedVenture / equity1 sourceEUR 7M
Reported amount EUR 7,000,000
Imec announced the initial €7m seed round for its Leuven spin-off.
Seed extensionVenture / equity1 sourceEUR 3M
Reported amount EUR 3,000,000
The additional €3m extended the seed round to €10m; only the incremental €3m is recorded.
Series AVenture / equity1 sourceEUR 27M
Reported amount EUR 27,000,000
The company announced a €27m Series A close co-led by imec.xpand and SFPIM Relaunch.
Investorsimec.xpandSFPIM RelaunchEIC FundIAG Capital PartnersMurata Electronics North AmericaQbic FundPMVimecLuminate
Series a extensionVenture / equity1 sourceEUR 6M
Reported amount EUR 6,000,000
An additional €6m followed the January Series A; IAG led and Samsung Ventures participated.
InvestorsIAG Capital PartnersSamsung Ventures
Recorded history so far. Original currencies are preserved; amounts in different currencies are not added together. Debt, grants, acquisitions and listings are separate event types. Undated events appear last.
Key people
In the news
- BEYOND THE BEAM: MEET STEVEN 👋Today is IT Appreciation Day, which gives us a pretty good excuse to put Steven in the spotlight. As our IT Manager, Steven is one of those people whose work you notice most when it isn’t being done. Systems running, people connected, access working, security taken care of.... all the things we tend to take for granted until something stops cooperating. 😉 And at Swave, IT isn’t exactly a side note. Building deep tech means having a reliable, secure and scalable IT environment behind the scenes. Steven
- The future of computing is all about finding clever and simple solutions to complex problems. It's about an interface disappearing entirely. We are on the cusp of Invisible Computing. Imagine a world where your glasses look completely normal, but function as a powerful conduit for information. Artificial intelligence (AI) agents assist continuously, anticipating your needs and guiding your attention without being intrusive. Information appears exactly where and when you need it, woven seamlessly into your physical
- Serious tech. Not-so-serious shirts. At Swave, we spend our days working on some pretty ambitious technology. But building something ambitious also means building a team that genuinely enjoys working together. So every now and then, we swap the usual office attire for something a little more… tropical. 🌴 Hawaiian Shirt Day brought questionable fashion choices, tropical drinks, good food and — most importantly — an excuse to step away from our screens and spend some time together. Because company culture isn’t something you
- Did you know that at Swave we have a tradition? New team members = koffiekoeken. 🥐 And this month, we’ve had plenty of reasons to bring them out. We welcomed four new colleagues: ⚡ Karim Rawy (PhD) — Senior Analog & Mixed-Signal IC Design Engineer ⚡ Thomas Crespel, PhD — Hardware Algorithm Engineer ⚡ Cesare Piemontese — Field Application Engineer ⚡ Manuella Foriers — Finance Expert Four new colleagues, four different areas of expertise, and a lot of extra brainpower joining #Swave. Great to have you with us, Karim, Thomas, Cesare
- The goal for augmented-reality glasses is to provide users with remarkable capabilities, from instant translation of foreign tongues to navigating unfamiliar cities with the ease of a resident. However, these advantages should not require sacrificing personal style. At their core, glasses must serve as a fashionable accessory, which implies eliminating "eye glow", the distracting phenomenon where the display light, or even displayed content, can become visible to those around the wearer. To address this, developers can design a
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) has recently become a cornerstone of our daily experiences. The emergence of the AI Agent represents the next step: a customized assistant designed to streamline your day by filtering data, predicting requirements, and directing your focus toward what truly matters. With Swave Photonics holographic technology, Augmented Reality (AR) glasses could offer the perfect medium for AI assistance, by projecting digital support straight into your line of sight. Imagine being able to follow a speaker with natural
- We have reached 5,000 followers on LinkedIn 🎉 A massive thank you to each and every one of you! ✨ Our journey toward developing the ultimate Augmented Reality glasses is moving ahead rapidly, and we are excited to keep pioneering next-generation holographic display technology and having fun while doing it! We are thrilled to have you all along for this incredible ride! Thank you once again! 🌟 #AR #augmentedreality #swavephotonics #photonics #HolographicDisplay #TrueInnovation
- We were deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to attend the 'Startup Showcase Summer 2026' in Japan. Thank you for extending the invitation and for the wonderful discussions. #swave #holography Mike Noonen https://lnkd.in/eXzdmGaf
Open roles
- Senior Software Engineer C++Wavre · Apr 24, 2026
- Instrumentation EngineerWavre · Apr 24, 2026
Alumni
Mike NoonenChief Executive Officer→Board Member at Silver Pegasus Acquisition Corp.(NASDAQ: SPEGU)
Backers
imec.xpand
Independent deep-tech VC linked to imec, focused on semiconductors and nanotechnology with EUR 300M under management.
QBIC
Belgian inter-university deep-tech fund backed by UGent, VUB, UAntwerp, UHasselt, ULiege, VITO, imec, and partner hospitals.
Pitchdrive
Pitchdrive is a venture capital fund that invests in pre-seed and seed stage startups, with four funds raised totaling €250K-2M in first-check investments, and a portfolio of over 70 companies backed globally.
Related profiles
Something wrong or missing? Send an update. Fixed within 24 hours.